FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary semiconductor chip 100. As illustrated, the semiconductor chip 100 comprises one or more semiconductor devices 102a–102n (hereinafter collectively referred to as “semiconductor devices 102”), such as transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes and the like deposited upon a substrate 104 and coupled via a plurality of wires or interconnects 106a–106n (hereinafter collectively referred to as “interconnects 106”). These semiconductor devices 102 and interconnects 106 share power, thereby distributing a thermal gradient over the chip 100 that may range from 100 to 180 degrees Celsius in various regions of the chip 100.
Semiconductor chips such as the semiconductor chip 100 typically comprise the bulk of the components in an electronic system. As such, proper performance analysis is critical to the design of semiconductor chips e.g., to ensure that a chip constructed in accordance with a given design will operate as intended and will not fail in use or waste materials. Performance analysis generally refers to the analysis of a plurality of semiconductor chip performance parameters, including timing, delay, voltage drops, current flow and power consumption. These parameters relate to the individual semiconductor devices and interconnects and are influenced by the local temperatures of the semiconductor devices and the interconnects, which vary throughout the semiconductor chip. Accordingly, a performance analysis tool requires accurate temperature data for these semiconductor devices and interconnects in order to reliably assess the expected performance of the semiconductor chip design.
Despite this, conventional performance analysis tools assume a single, uniform temperature throughout the semiconductor chip. For example, a conventional performance analysis may assume that a uniform temperature of ninety degrees Celsius exists over the semiconductor chip design, which would result in a delay of approximately twenty picoseconds for a specific gate in the design. However, while the temperatures of some of the semiconductor devices and interconnects on the semiconductor chip may actually be at about ninety degrees Celsius, the actual temperature for that specific gate may be much different than the assumed temperature (e.g., 120 degrees Celsius), resulting a different delay than that calculated based on the uniform temperature assumption. Consequently, performance analysis results based on this assumption may lead to under- or over-estimation of semiconductor chip performance, resulting in a semiconductor chip that does not perform as intended.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for retrofitting semiconductor chip performance analysis tools with full-chip thermal analysis capabilities.